Wanted: New Leader, Must be Blond(e)
by WithFlamingWings
Summary: Suddenly left without their leader, the Thunder Legion is searching for a new path. A new blond(e) catches their attention and she couldn't be more perfect if they had sent out an ad for her! But will she accept them? What will Laxus think? - Please note that this story is rated M! There will be adult situations including sex, drugs, and mild gore! Eventual LaLu, Slow Burn LaLu
1. The Man with the Can

**Hello again! Taking over my sister's story has apparently turned me into LaLu trash and I had this idea! Now I did have to do a good bit of rearranging with the cannon timeline to make things work, but we will go back and touch on things that were skipped over as we go. Everything up to Galuna happened mostly as cannon with the exception of Leo who never joined Fairy Tail, Phantom Lord hasn't happened yet and the Tower of Heaven is still currently happening in secret, the Battle of Fairy Tail has just finished but Lucy wasn't there for it. We will focus on Lucy and the Thunder Legion first, LaLu wont happen until later.**

 **Also, HEED THE WARNINGS AND THE RATING! This has an M rating so we will get into mature subjects! In the first couple chapters alone we have some talk about drugs and this may be triggering to some people! I also won't hesitate with the sex! You don't want to read that then this is not the story for you!**

 **So, I hope you enjoy my little AU!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail and y'all are crazy if you think I do!**

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia sighed as she let her head drop against the train window, the dreary scenery provided by the rainy evening blurring into a whirlwind of gray and brown in front of her eyes. She was heading home from a solo job, back to Magnolia, back to Fairy Tail.

The blonde had only joined the guild about two months ago and already she had resigned herself to solo work. The two official, one unofficial, and one illegally accepted jobs that she had taken with Natsu and, eventually, Gray and Erza had shown her just how much working with a team would hinder her. After that realization she had very firmly declined Natsu's continued partnership, much to the fire dragon slayers dismay. It was a bit lonely but Lucy had her Celestial spirits by her side and a mission that took precedent over befriending destructive and undisciplined mages.

Lucy's mood dipped a little as her mind once again strayed to her mission. Her hand fell to the tarnished key on her belt and she stroked it gently, ' _Stay strong. I won't stop until you are back with me.'_

A flash of light heralded the arrival of her strongest spirit and she smiled at the well dressed lion as he took a seat across from her, "Hello Leo."

"Princess." He greeted with a small smile, "You know...he wouldn't want you to isolate yourself for his sake."

"I'm not isolating myself." Lucy argued, "But that team wouldn't have been a good environment to grow in. No rewards means my bills aren't payed which means I couldn't train to get strong enough for what is needed." She sat back as her eyes dropped to the dull key again, "I actually think he would be pretty ecstatic that I'm focusing on training."

Leo snorted, "You're right, he would be pleased. You're going to use his schedule right?"

"Of course." Lucy said brightly, "I need to adjust it slightly to work in time for you to train me on what spells and techniques Seireiō has granted me access to but other than that, the schedule has worked since I was eight, it will continue to work now."

"Maybe you can use that schedule to train up Natsu and Gray to help you." Leo hedged.

Lucy's face fell into a scowl, "There is no way I'll be able to focus on my own training if I first have to wrangle two dunderheads who fight each other every chance they get. They're very nice and I'm sure they would help if I asked but the sheer amount and range of their destruction can't be planned for with any amount of accuracy. I will not jeopardize his life with such idiocy."

Leo gave her a small smile, "Spoken like a true Princess."

Lucy lifted her nose and gave a little sniff, "Of course." She replied primly before she and Leo promptly slumped in their seats with laughter.

When the laugher died down, Leo began again with a slightly softer, "Princess..."

Lucy smiled at her spirit, "I know you're worried about me being alone Leo. If it makes you feel any better, I am not completely against the idea of having help, I just want to make sure that whoever decides to help me will actually _be_ a help instead of a hinderance." the spirit dropped his head in defeat and Lucy moved over to sit next to him. "Besides," she bumped shoulders with the lion, "I have all of you with me and that means I'm never really alone."

Leo looked over to her with fond eyes, "You're really something Princess."

Lucy's smile turned to a mischievous grin, "It's the hair."

* * *

Getting off the train in Magnolia, Lucy was once again alone. Leo had returned home shortly before the train pulled into the station and Lucy couldn't currently call out her normal companion because apparently Canis Minors took their weekly dog pile/cuddle fest _very_ seriously.

Lucy hummed to herself as she walked further into town. Her latest job had actually had quite a decent payout so she was sitting pretty on rent for the next two months with enough left over to get the rest of the necessities for several weeks before taking another job was required. It left her a nice chunk of time where she could train without worrying about money.

Feeling like a little treat and not in a rush since the rain had taken a break for the moment, Lucy made a side track in her journey home, practically skipping to the pastry shop to get her favorite strawberry cream tart.

Pushing the door open and stepping inside, Lucy froze almost immediately at the hateful glare she was getting from the little old woman who ran the shop. "Um, hello Mrs. Devro."

"Don't you hello me Missy!" The elderly woman snapped, "Get out! We don't serve your kind here any more!"

Lucy frowned, "My...kind?"

"Fairy Tail wizards!" Mrs. Devro shouted, picking up a broom and batting the bristles at Lucy's feet, "Now scat! I refuse to sell to a member of a guild who thinks fighting each other among the innocent common people just for a stupid festival is alright!"

"Mrs. Devro I don't understand," Lucy tried, backing away from the bristles with her hands up in surrender, "I've been away..."

"I don't care!" The little old lady snarled, "I'm sleeping in a roofless house because of your stupid guild! Now get out!"

Lucy scurried out of the pastry shop as quickly as she could despite her confusion. She knew that she missed the Fantasia Parade because of her mission but she'd never heard anything about some sort of fighting game and usually fights were kept within the guild hall. Looking more closely at the structures around her, Lucy _could_ actually see evidence of magical battles.

"What the hell did I miss?" Lucy muttered to herself.

Before the blonde could ponder much further there was a scream from ahead of her and Lucy's head whipped toward the sound. Her intelligent brown eyes sweeping the thinly populated area for potential threats even as her hand dropped to her waist to grip her whip.

To her confusion, all Lucy could see was two little wood cylinders spinning over the street and a hysterical brunette running away from them with her hands clutched dramatically over her head.

Lucy frowned and walked toward the two cylinders, passing the hysterical woman in the process. As she drew closer, she watched the cylinders duck down to another passing citizen and chant, "Help! Please! Help!" But the man simply ignored the funny little wood creatures.

As soon as Lucy stepped into range, the two creatures flew over to circle her and repeat their request. Lucy smiled at them cautiously and held out her hands, "Easy little guys. Come here." She called gently, she waited patiently as the two bobbed uncertainly for several long seconds before lowering themselves into her hands. Lucy took a moment to examine the little wood beings. They seemed to be little tikki totems, both with intricately carved faces and little wing like carving extending from their sides. The smallest fit easily into her palm and had a sharp red mask, a small green nose, and bared teeth. The other one was slightly larger and had slitted eyes, a large round green nose, and a pink lipped frown. "Well aren't you two just adorable?" Lucy cooed, the two shook a little as if startled. "What are your names?"

"Pippi." The smallest squeaked out.

"Peppe." The frowning totem answered.

"Nice to meet you!" Lucy greeted, "I'm Lucy. What did you need help with exactly?"

The two totems rose sharply from her hands, "Bickslow!" They chirped, "Need help! Please!"

Lucy frowned a little, "Your friend needs help? Are they hurt?"

"Sick!" Peppe answered. "Help!"

Lucy gave them a serious nod, "Alright, can you lead me to them? I'll do what I can."

"Yes! Yes!" The two chanted, whirling around Lucy's head before darting off toward the next building.

Lucy followed quickly after the two totems as they rounded the building on to a lesser used side street before ducking rather suddenly into an alley. Lucy tensed a little at the alley but continued to move forward, with a little more caution than before.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting to find in that alley but a grown ass man with wild blue hair rocking back and forth, cuddling a garbage can, and staring down a seemingly petrified cat as his eyes glowed green sure wasn't it. Above the man's head was the two totems Lucy had met as well as three others, all hovering protectively around the man on the ground.

"Sweet stars." Lucy breathed, creeping forward slowly, she looked up at the totems. "What happened?" She could feel a magic pressure laying heavily around the man, it was quite substantial. "Is this a new magic he's lost control of?"

"No." Pippi answered, spinning back over to her. "Sick."

"A reaction to something then." Lucy threw out, "Was he poisoned? Did he get hit with a spell?" She finally made it to the man's side, careful to avoid the path of his glowing gaze. "I assume he usually has control."

"Yes." Peppe responded, "Took something."

Lucy frowned, "Took something? Was he sick before hand?" She didn't want to touch the man before she knew what she was dealing with but she did use her close proximity to look for signs of illness or injury, she saw nothing but some signs of long term stress and the more obvious current _di_ stress.

"No." Pippi answered.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at the totem and took a leap of logic, "So what? He took some recreational drugs?"

Pippi lowered itself closer toward Lucy, "Don't know."

"You don't know if he took drugs?" The blonde asked, "Has he never taken any before?"

"No. Drinks."

Lucy pursed her lips to hide her frustration, "He's only drank before?" Lucy knew she likely wouldn't be able to get an actual reason out of the little totem but there was one thing she was wishing wasn't the case. "Don't tell me he just took stuff off some stranger at a club or something."

"Paper!" Pippi chirped.

"Lump." Peppe added, joining Pippi in front of Lucy.

The blonde frowned, "Paper..." she hated translation jobs, "did the paper have a little picture on it and go on his tongue?"

"Yes!" Pippi answered.

"And lump..." Lucy started, looking over to Peppe, "from what little I know I'm going to say...a mushroom of some kind."

"Yes." Peppe answered.

Lucy sighed, "Mixing drugs is beyond bad. Especially for a first timer. It looks like he's entered some kind of zone out and used his magic accidentally." She cocked her head as she assessed her subject with the new information. He was completely unreactive to her presence beside him but she knew not to touch him without him being aware of her presence. His magic was steady and unchanging through his state however and Lucy theorized that his magic must take a concentration that was hyper enforced by the zone out he was experiencing. "Alright," she looked up at the totems again and noticed that the other three totems had joined the first two, "he's just experiencing a bad trip. He's completely zoned right now and I need to break it before I can help further. When I break it he might become violent but I promise I am not hurting him. Can I count on you guys to hold him back if he lunges? He could hurt himself and that is not the goal here."

"Yes!" Pippi chirped happily but was almost instantly bopped by another totem, this one with dark green eyebrows and angry looking eyes above a round pink and red mouth.

Lucy watched the interaction between the totems and figured that this one was the leader of the little group. "Calm down." She started placatingly, "I won't do anything unless you're cool with it. What's your name?"

"Pappa." Came a gruff reply.

"Hello Pappa, I'm Lucy." She greeted softly, "I only want to help. Before I can help any more or even get him to acknowledge me I have to break his lock on the cat." She slid off her jacket and folded it over her arm, "I'm not even going to touch him. I'm just going to break his gaze with my jacket. Can I do that?"

Pappa bobbed in place, silent for almost a full minute. "Can't look."

Lucy nodded, "I assume that it's a magic applied with eye contact." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her sunglasses, "Will these block it?" She asked.

"Yes." Pappa said before the totems as flew back to circle the man.

Lucy smiled as she stood and slid on her sunglasses, "What did you say his name was again Pippi?"

"Bickslow!" The totem chirped.

"Right." She positioned herself behind the cat, "Nice and easy then. One...two...three!" Lucy lowered her jacket right between the cat and Bickslow.

The effect was immediate.

The cat let out a yowl and bolted with it's tail fluffed up to twice the size of normal. Bickslow jerked backward suddenly, dropped his trashcan, and slapped a hand to his eyes with a yelp, only the presence of the totems kept his head from hitting the alley wall behind him.

Lucy slowly put her jacket back on and watched carefully as Bickslow slumped against the wall, his breathing picking up quickly as he started to tremble. "Bickslow." She called gently, he flinched and clamped harder over his eyes. "Easy. I need you to breathe. Deep breath in for me." She said softly, he complied shakily. "There you go now let it out nice and slow." She sank low in front of him as he did as she said. "Good job." She praised.

"Who?" He started shakily, his voice hoarse.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia and I am here to help you." She explained softly, "Can you look at me? Please? I promise I have glasses on."

"H-how..." he stuttered.

"Your cute little friends told me." She answered, "Pippi and Peppe found me and led me to you so I could help."

"No one knows their names." Bickslow stated mournfully.

"I asked for them. It's only polite." Lucy hummed, "Now, can you look at me? I need to see if the drugs are still affecting your magic."

"No!" Bickslow suddenly shouted, making Lucy jump a bit, "I can't!"

"Yes you can." Lucy reassured him, still keeping her voice even despite her racing heart. "I have sunglasses on. It wont affect me." She stayed patient, letting him take his time.

"O-ok." He finally conceded, before slowly lowering his hand and looking at Lucy with glowing green eyes. A frown came over his face, "A...goat?"

Lucy giggled as she took in Bickslow's face and tentatively felt the magic that was now focused on her, "To others I'm sure that would be an insult but I will take it as a compliment, especially since you can most likely see my soul right now. Though technically it's 'sea goat'." Bickslow was looking at her in shock, she cocked her head, "You are a Seith mage right? They tend to have a very distinctive feel to their magic."

"I don't...I can't..." Bickslow stuttered, his breathing starting to pick up and his stare growing wild. He jolted wildly as the first of a light drizzle hit him.

"Easy." Lucy called again, "Bickslow you need to breathe." The man's started to brush frantically at his arms as the rain started to gather. "Calm down, it's just rain." She tried to soothe but it didn't work, his shaking just got worse.

Lucy pressed her lips into a harsh line, "Bickslow!" She snapped, making his gaze snap back to her. Lucy wrapped her magic snuggly around her soul before carefully lowering her sunglasses to make eye contact with the seith mage. "Deep breath in." She ordered, her glowing golden eyes never wavering from his glowing green ones. He took a deep breath on her order, his eyes wide. "Now out." She said sternly, he followed once more. "Again."

For several more minutes Lucy directed Bickslow through breathing while blocking his soul magic with her own. She continued until his shakes had lessened and his breaths were even but by then the rain was really starting to pick up.

"Good job Bickslow." She praised, still not breaking eye contact. "Now we need to get you out of this rain. Can I to take you to someone or would you rather come to my apartment?"

Lucy didn't know it, but this complete stranger's choice would set her on a path to not only complete her personal mission but also to create a family and find love along the way.


	2. Breakfast and PR Campaigns

**Disclaimer in Chapter 1. Will add as needed.**

* * *

"Where is he?" Freed muttered worriedly as he paced in the living room of the Thunder Legion's shared home. "He should have been back last night!"

Evergreen was curled up in her spot on the couch, chewing at her hair nervously, "You don't think someone at the guild has taken him as retribution do you?" She looked at Freed with wide scared eyes, "He said he was going out to get drunk enough to forget! He would have been an easy target!"

"His babies have brought him home drunk before." Freed countered, though he couldn't shake the possibility, "And no one at the guild would do that. We've apologized! I've cut my hair as penance!"

"You've seen the looks they keep giving us!" Evergreen stressed, "It's too soon! And if they _have_ taken him and we retaliate we'll be seen as the ones in the wrong!" Her eyes flared behind her glasses as her panic grew. "We'll be thrown out! And we won't even be able to go after Laxus because he wants to do this on his own!"

"I've cut my hair!" Freed shouted at the ceiling, gripping at his buzz cut green locks, "What more must I do to atone! Laxus!"

"The hair isn't helping!" Evergreen nearly screamed as she shot to her feet, "It's just making you look weird while we sit here not knowing where Bickslow has been taken!" She launched herself at Freed and got him into a head lock while he cried out for guidance from their absentee leader.

Their struggle was interrupted by a sharp knock on their door.

Evergreen dropped Freed and ran to the door, opening it with a breathless cry of "Bickslow!"

"I'm afraid I am not Sir Bickslow." The pink haired maid standing in the doorway replied evenly.

Evergreen masked her emotions immediately, grateful when she felt Freed join her, "Who are you then?" She asked, taking in the maid's blank face and the curious chains attached to her wrists.

The maid bowed, "I am Virgo." She introduced herself, "I have come on the behalf of my Princess, seeking the teammates of Sir Bickslow."

"Where have you taken him!" Evergreen demanded, her emotions breaking her mask at the mention of one of her best friends.

Virgo made no outward reaction to the outburst, "My Princess found him in a poor state last night and took him into her home. She has asked me to retrieve you so that you can join them for breakfast."

Evergreen was still shaking from her overwhelming worry but Freed laid a hand on her shoulder in reassurance, "We will come with you right away."

Virgo nodded and took a step back from the door, "I shall await you here."

"Freed!" Evergreen hissed as he shut the door and reached for his rapier where it was hung up by the enterence. "What if it's a trap?!"

"We have to go Ever. If what she said is true then Bickslow might be ill. Trap or not, if we play along then we can get to him without expending any magic we may potentially need for escaping." Freed said gravely.

Evergreen couldn't argue with that plan but she took a moment to grumble, "If he's just living it up with some priss in a castle I'll kick his ass."

* * *

The 'castle' was a far cry from what the two Thunder Legion members were expecting.

Virgo had led them from their house at the outer limits of Magnolia, into the city, straight to a modest looking apartment building along the canal. It certainly didn't look like an evil lair that they would have to break their friend out of.

"This way." Virgo called, "My Princess has made progress on breakfast and I must prepare the table."

Despite the innocuous look of the place, Freed and Evergreen were still wary as they followed Virgo up a small flight of stairs and through a door with a simple 'B' attached to it. The apartment they entered was rather spacious, with a large living/dining room where a couch and arm chair shared space with a dining table. There was an archway over by the table that clearly led to a kitchen and next to the fire place was a closed door that Freed assumed would lead to a bedroom.

The high pitched chanting of their names brought Freed and Evergreen's heads back toward the kitchen archway where Bickslow's five totems bobbed excitedly at the sight of them. Evergreen let out a tense breath but welcomed all five totems for a hug.

"Oh, you're here." A light voice said from the kitchen arch.

Freed froze as he took in the blonde coming from the kitchen, who currently held a spatula in her hand. It wasn't hard to recognize her, he had kept a detailed list of all of the mages currently in Fairy Tail to help plan out and anticipate the Battle Royale.

He hadn't expected Bickslow to be found at Lucy Heartfilia's residence.

"Come on in and sit down." Lucy called as she returned to the kitchen, "Bickslow is taking a shower right now and food is almost ready."

"Who is she?" Ever asked under her breath.

"Lucy Heartfilia. Celestial Spirit Summoner. Part of the guild." Freed answered as they walked slowly over to the table where Virgo was laying out place settings. Virgo, Freed realized distantly, must be the Maiden Spirit of the Zodiac.

Evergreen cursed softly, tensing up again, "Was she one of the ones hurt in the battle?"

"I don't know." Freed answered grudgingly, "Her threat assessment wasn't high enough for her to be one I monitored closely."

They took seats at the table, both strung tight with worry and anticipation as they listened to the noise in the kitchen. Each sound inspiring a growing sense of dread. Every clang sounded like a blade being sharpened, the sizzle of bacon was magic awakening, and soft whomps were practice punches being thrown.

When Lucy did finally exit the kitchen with two serving dishes piled with food, both Thunder Legion members were feeling rather ill and looking pale. Lucy couldn't have missed the cold sweat beading on their foreheads but she simply smiled at them, "I'm Lucy by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Evergreen." The fairy mage squeaked, tightening her grip on Bickslow's totems.

"Freed." He managed to choke out.

Lucy nodded with the same smile on her face, "No need to look so frightened. Bickslow is perfectly fine, I promise. He just probably feels like crap after last night. Took him forever to crash." She turned to accept more food from Virgo before the maid disappeared. "I must say, it is nice to meet other Fairy Tail mages with manners. I think this is the longest I've had guild mates in my apartment without something being destroyed."

Freed and Evergreen were feeling like a couple bubbles ready to burst. Where was the yelling? The screaming? The accusations? The glaring and hateful looks?

Thankfully they were saved from exploding into little anxiety filled chunks by the bedroom door opening.

Bickslow stepped out in nothing but sweats and a t-shirt, his hair damp and his eyes completely uncovered. Freed and Evergreen stared at him in disbelief for a moment as he registered their presence. "Hi." He greeted sheepishly.

In seconds, Evergreen was up and over to him to punch him repeatedly in the arm, "You idiot! Do you know how worried we were? You can't just not come home! We thought something happened to you! I aught to turn you to stone you bastard!"

Bickslow backed away from the angry brunette quickly, grabbing onto his arm where she had been hitting him. "Ow Ever! Stop! I already feel like shit." He whined.

"What happened?" Freed demanded worriedly, "You said you were just going drinking. You've never not made it home from that before."

"Perhaps we should all sit down and eat as we talk." Lucy suggested, "Bickslow threw up when we got here last night so he doesn't have anything but some crackers on his stomach."

"Oh Mavis, you got sick?" Evergreen exclaimed, pulling her friend over to the table.

"Yeah." Bickslow muttered, a blush rising on his cheeks.

Lucy cocked an eyebrow as everyone slid into seats at the table, "That's what happens when you mix drugs your first time trying them."

"Drugs!" Evergreen shrieked, "Bickslow!"

"What were you thinking?!" Freed admonished.

Bickslow sunk low in his seat, "I just wanted to forget." He muttered sullenly, both Freed and Evergreen softened slightly.

"Bickslow." Lucy started, "I have only just met you so I am not certain what it is exactly that you are trying so desperately to forget but experimenting with recreational drugs can be dangerous to your mental, physical, and magical health. Especially if you are in an emotional state, which can lead to dangerous addiction. And I certainly don't recommend just taking stuff off strangers like Pippi said you did. That is even worse. Stars only know if those could have been laced with something!" She paused as all three Thunder Legion members frowned at her, "What? I may not use any of the hard stuff but I had to drag one friend out of that hole already."

"You-you don't know why I would want to forget?" Bickslow asked cautiously.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "Why would I know your reasoning for that? We never met before last night. I will listen if you need an ear though." She offered with a genuine smile.

"What about what we did?" Evergreen cut in.

The blonde cocked her head, "What did you do?" She asked, not mocking, just truly curious.

"We tried to take over the guild so that Laxus could be Master and made everyone fight each while holding all of Magnolia hostage!" Evergreen burst out.

Lucy blinked, "Oh, so that's why Mrs. Devro wouldn't sell me a tart."

"That's all you have to say?!" Bickslow exclaimed.

"I still think you shouldn't experiment with drugs." Lucy pointed out, "Extenuating circumstances or not, drugs could seriously impair you if you take the wrong ones or mix them. There are relatively safe recreational drugs that you can use safely and in moderation while under proper supervision if you still wish to try some." She smiled, "I make excellent pot brownies. Those are a pretty safe starting spot."

Freed and Bickslow gaped openly at Lucy while Evergreen yelled, "We made you fight your friends and all you do is lecture about drugs?!"

"Ah," Lucy said, understanding dawning as she started to fork a small stack of pancakes onto her plate, "I assume this happened during the Fantasia Parade. That's when I would have staged a takeover if I was planning something like that." All three mages gave choking whines, "But I wasn't here for that. I've been out on a job for the last week or so."

Evergreen and Bickslow slumped in their seats, all of the tension draining from them in one go but still feeling shocked and a bit blindsided by the blonde before them.

Freed had a bit more refinement in his relaxing, his confusion showed through though, "How did you know that we were guild members then? We've worked hard to keep our team out of the magazines and without Laxus with us most don't even usually associate our appearance with our team name. We're also rarely at the guild and when we are we usually sit up on the second floor."

Lucy arched an eyebrow and pointed her fork at Bickslow, "I'm not sure how he acts when he's not high but when he is, he spends a lot of time licking things." Bickslow grimaced, "It's kind of hard not to notice when the guild mark is plastered on the tongue that's trying to lick you." Evergreen shot Bickslow an unimpressed look and he looked down at his empty plate in embarrassment. "Pappa was the one to mention you two last night when he talked about Bickslow's team, so I took the next logical leap and hypothesized that you were also Fairy Tail members. This of course was proven by the open and obvious placements of your guild marks but even I hadn't seen them I still would have concluded that you were part of the guild after feeling your magic as you entered my home and taking into account both Fiore Law on Mages and the Guild rules."

Evergreen looked down to her mark which was prominently featured on her right breast and blushed, completely forgetting how easy it was to see in the shock of the moment. "You...but...what about..."

Lucy smiled at her, "It seems like you guys really need to talk about this. Take a bit to relax and eat, I will be happy to help as much as I can once you've gathered your thoughts together."

"Why?" Bickslow asked softly, all three members of the Thunder Legion could only stare at Lucy in utter confusion. The Master may have waved off their misdeeds and Freed may have cut his hair in his own attempt to show how apologetic he was but the guild still hated them. They were shunned and sent hateful looks and snarled at. All of which they understood, really. But Lucy wasn't and maybe it was because she hadn't been there, but she had barely reacted to the news! "Why?" Bickslow repeated, "We did terrible things to the guild! We held Magnolia hostage! And you don't even know us!"

The blonde simply gave a serene smile as she poured syrup over her pancakes, "None of that changes the fact that you are human." She answered, Evergreen jolted a bit, feeling a lump in her throat grow as Lucy continued. "You have your own feelings and your own struggles. Everyone makes mistakes and I won't push people away simply because they've made said mistakes. It's not in my nature to refuse help to anyone who needs it."

"S-so y-ou for-give us?" Evergreen stuttered out weakly.

Lucy pinned her with a serious look, "I wasn't here for that. It isn't my place to forgive you. No matter how much you three might need to hear those words, forgiveness can only be found once the people you hurt start to heal. And to ask for forgiveness from the ones you have hurt makes any apology you might have made disingenuous."

"Our apology was genuine!" Freed protested, "I even cut my hair as penance!"

Lucy sighed and put down her fork, "The cutting of ones hair to show 'true change' is a high society concept and one that is often misused by deceitful people in the business world. Fairy Tail is not, and probably never will be, a hive of high society. Those who have seen the change in your hair wont see _any_ significance at best or will think you are trying to disassociate yourself with your mistake at worse. In the end, you only cut your hair to make yourself feel better and by the way this conversation is going you didn't even succeed in that."

Freed slumped ungracefully into his chair, "No, I am still miserable but now I also have short hair." Lucy nodded.

"How are we supposed to fix this then!" Bickslow asked in frustration, his hands were balled into fist and he glared at the table.

"There is no easy fix. And you definitely shouldn't expect it so soon after the incident." Lucy replied bluntly, "Forgiveness is not a given and it is not an all inclusive thing. Some people at the guild may forgive you with time and others may not. The best way to work toward earning your forgiveness is to show that you have changed. Sitting around and feeling sorry for yourself or taking drugs to forget won't help yourselves or the people you have hurt with forgiveness."

Evergreen sat her elbows on the table and put her face in her hands, "We don't even know where to start."

Lucy plucked a piece of bacon from the serving plate and took a bite, "If you'll accept my help then I know of at least one way for you to begin."

The Thunder Legion shared a determined look and nodded to the blonde across from them.

* * *

An hour and a half later found Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow following behind Lucy as she moved jauntily down the street. She had put on a simple black mini skirt and a royal blue top that attached to a golden choker with keyhole in the front. She had also put on a brown leather belt which had a black leather whip, a strange baton like item that Bickslow couldn't identify, and a pouch that the seith mage assumed held her keys.

Bickslow was drowning in a mixture of emotions. Embarrassment from last night with a healthy amount of curiosity and amazement centered around the blonde that he distinctly remembered blocking his figure eyes with glowing golden eyes of her own. This morning had definitely been awkward when he had woken up with his head buried in her lap and her sitting upright, propped up against her bedroom wall, he hadn't been able hide his horror when she had told him that she had slept like that because he refused to release her waist in his sleep. When Lucy had informed him that she had sent someone to his teammates he had heaped another helping onto his emotional sundae, a large scoop of disappointment in himself. The whole dredge of emotions that came with the Fantasia events was the fudge sauce and now...well now he was getting the self conscious sprinkles that came from not having his helmet.

Apparently he had lost it at the club last night, Lucy hadn't seen it in the alley she had found him in, and Freed and Evergreen hadn't thought to bring one of his backups when they rushed out to find him.

So now he was walking through the center of town without his helmet, his eyes and tattoo completely visible for any passerby to notice and freak out about. Lucy didn't seem to mind but he assumed that was because she had miraculously been able to block him. He had suggested that they stop by their house before going but Lucy had shut that down pretty quickly, telling him that it wasn't needed where they were going. Still, he could see the side eyes that he was getting from the people walking by them on the street and it was making his tongue itch. It certainly didn't help that his babies had taken a liking to Lucy and had been circling her since they left her apartment instead of staying with him.

After roughly ten minutes of walking, Lucy finally led them into a quaint little pastry shop.

"What are you doing back here girly!" A frail voice spat from behind the counter. The Legion all looked around Lucy to see a tiny old woman advancing on them with a broom. "I told you we don't serve you Fairy Tail hooligans here any more!"

Lucy clasped her hands behind her back and bowed slightly, "I heard what you said Mrs. Devro. That is why I've come back. Our guild's actions have caused you to sleep in a roofless house. We would like to fix it for you so you can sleep easy tonight." Evergreen and Bickslow exchanges a glance but Freed nodded in understanding.

The little old woman lowered her broom but narrowed her eyes at them, "You know that doing this won't make me sell you lot anything."

"I do." Lucy said, straightening to look at the woman, "But Magnolia is Fairy Tail's home and we would like to help fix what we've broken."

Mrs. Devro raised a thin eyebrow, "And what about my neighbors house where a chimney was taken out? Or my granddaughter whose garden was trampled?"

Lucy smiled, "We will work until our supplies run out. Not everything can be fixed in one go but we can at least get a list and plan for further help."

Mrs. Devro nodded, "Alright then, let me close up."

"Where are we going to get these supplies?" Bickslow muttered after she had moved toward the back room.

Lucy turned to him, "Virgo can provide that. We already talked about it last night when she asked me if I wanted her to make me the tart I couldn't buy. She'll also be able to provide you jumpsuits to work in because those clothes really aren't the best to do construction in." She said, gesturing to Freed's usual immaculate coat and Evergreen's dress. Bickslow was slightly better with the clothes that he had worn to the club last night bit even they weren't really the best for grunt work.

"I can see that we need to help this woman but I do not see how this will help is earn forgiveness." Freed frowned.

"If you want the nice and sweet answer, if you help the people who have suffered the consequences of your actions then it will show a true change of heart to those you hurt more directly." Lucy said before her lips twitched up into a mischievous smirk, "If you want the less pleasant answer, you can think of this as a strategic move in a PR campaign. Even though Fiore is a country that welcomes magic pretty openly, the common people still make up the majority of the population with about twenty common people to every one mage. If you begin your redemption efforts with the common people then you will soon have the majority backing and people tend to sway in favor of public opinion to fit in. The fact that you will be the first ones of the guild to actually help the common people who were hurt in this incident with be a major point in your favor with the public."

The Thunder Legion gaped at Lucy in disbelief.

The blonde giggled at their faces and clapped as Mrs. Devro came back out to join them, "Let's start this shall we?"

* * *

Mrs. Devro's sudden reappearance at her home in the middle of the day was apparently a big deal in the neighborhood that they were led to. It didn't take long for word to spread the neighbors about what the Fairy Tail mages were doing here. Lucy started up notes that detailed what damage was where and what supplies would be needed for each issue while Virgo had appeared with jumpsuits for the Thunder Legion and led them to somewhere sufficiently secluded to change.

When the three returned, Lucy summoned two more of her spirits which she introduced to everyone as Taurus the Golden Bull and Leo the Lion. With the team put together and Virgo arriving with the supplies, Lucy started directing everything. They began with Mrs. Devro's roof of course but Lucy soon shifted Evergreen down to work on the trampled herb garden while sending Taurus to carry the supplies to each work site.

The civilians were a little wary of the mages as first but Lucy was a bright and welcoming bridge between them. Soon she had several more woman helping Evergreen with the easier tasks, the woman easing Evergreen out of her shell with fashion talk before moving right on to men. Freed was on the verge of having his face permanently stuck in a blush after Lucy had set a gaggle of little grandmas on him, though he was saved by a few of the elderly women's husbands who drew him into chess games while he was working. Bickslow was probably the hardest but Lucy set herself to nailing new shingles on the roof alongside him and allowed her presence to draw in a few of the younger men who worked with them so that they could leer at her, a few subtle encouragements of raunchy jokes and Bickslow was joking right along with the others. Lucy left him to it and went to work on another project.

Around one in the afternoon, the gaggle of grandmas had made up a lunch for all the workers that were trying so hard to put their homes back together. They were making some nice progress with all the help that they were getting from the civilians and Lucy happily announced to the group as each project was checked off her list, each announcement was met with a cheer.

It was after one such announcement that Lucy found herself being approached by Master Makarov and Erza, both looking around the constructive chaos curiously.

"Good afternoon Master." Lucy greeted, "Nice day isn't it?"

"It is." Master agreed lightly, "Can I ask what all this is my dear?"

Lucy nodded and gestured with her pen as she spoke, "I learned about the battle this morning and after hearing that there was a lot of damage caused I decided to try and help the civilians who were left feeling unsafe because their homes were destroyed." She gestured a little more pointedly to where Freed was currently helping Mrs. Devro and her husband reconstruct a dresser that had been destroyed when the roof caved in, "I did a little recruiting to the cause along the way of course."

"This is a truly noble pursuit Lucy." Erza said, "But shouldn't the Thunder Legion be suffering this punishment by themselves."

Lucy's gaze sharpened for a moment before her face smoothed out into the saccharine mask she had been taught as a child, "It is not my place to hand out punishments Erza." She said sternly. "They wished to show how much they had changed after apologizing to the guild and I asked them to come along and help me. I saw that they were truly remorseful for their actions and they took this opportunity to assist those who suffered indirectly because of their actions."

"A wonderful goal." Makarov praised, "I'm sure some of the others who actually fought in this end of town would love to help out with the reconstruction efforts."

"If they would like Master, but I wouldn't want anyone else to _suffer_ the _punishment_ of helping civilians." Lucy said, with a mild glare at Erza who cleared her throat awkwardly. "Besides," she stepped forward with a large smile and lifted her voice for the whole crowd, "I think we are doing wonderfully on our own here don't you?" The crowd cheered wholeheartedly. Lucy looked back to the Master, "I estimate this area will be completely fixed in approximately two days Master. If the other truly want to help then they might want to take another part of town, no need to us all to be crammed into one area."

With that she walked off to help Leo with the chimney project, unaware that Pippi had been hovering nearby and would later tell the Thunder Legion of her defense.

* * *

 **I've pretty much got things outlined so this story should move on at a healthy clip!z**


	3. Mysterious Lucy

**Hey guys! Sorry** , **it took so long but my brain is really bad at staying on one topic. I will NOT abandon a story! It may take me a bit but I never completely drop a story. Just stick with me, I have an outline and bits of the story written nonlinearly, I just have to fill in the in between.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

* * *

It ended up taking three days for the area to be completely fixed. They would have stayed on Lucy's timeline but halfway through the second day, the people decided to have a block party to thank the Thunder Legion for their help. This resulted in a few more damages after Bickslow's new friends challenged him to a drinking contest and one of the other men got a bit testy.

Still, by the time things had been wrapped up in the mid-morning of the third day, the neighborhood had gotten to know the three mages pretty well and enjoyed their company. Evergreen was pulled into plans for future shopping trips with the ladies while Freed asked if he could come over for a few more chess matches with the older gentlemen, which was quickly and wholeheartedly agreed to. Bickslow, while pretty popular with the younger guys of the neighborhood, was the favorite of the children who all demanded that he came back so they could play with his babies again. All three had been basically adopted by the grandmas and the little old ladies had baked and cooked them so much food that it took three trips for them to get all of it back to their house.

"We're gonna get fat," Bickslow noted happily as he loaded up the last of the food into a box his babies were carrying.

"Good child," came one of the Grandma's voices, "you three are too skinny. You need meat on those bones."

"If we get too fat I'll have to buy all new clothes, Gramma Feld." Evergreen pouted even as she snuck a taste of the banana loaf she was packing.

"And I'm sure you'll enjoy every minute of the shopping dear." Mrs. Feld teased her, Evergreen laughed and nodded.

"Is that the last of it?" Bickslow asked, "We already promised to come to visit next week, surely this month's worth of food is enough."

Mrs. Feld swatted at his shoulder lightly, "Watch your cheek young man, or next time we'll make you nothing but vegetable dishes."

Bickslow let his tongue loll from his mouth, "I love zucchini bread!" Mrs. Feld shook her head at him.

"Just a moment you three!" Another voice called out.

Freed looked toward the sound and smiled when he identified Mrs. Devro's husband, "Did we miss something Mr. Devro?"

"I just wanted to give you this for the next time you see your nice blonde friend." The elderly man chuckled, handing Freed a bit of silver, "She left when the party started yesterday but I figured you would be able to find her."

Bickslow frowned, "Lucy left before the party?" He peered over Freed's shoulder curiously to see a simple silver key.

"Said you three could handle it from there. That she needed to head out for her training." Mr. Devro informed them, "Emily found this while she was cleaning up ol' Culver's attic. We don't think it's anything powerful but those spirits of hers did seem mighty happy with her. Figured she could give this un' here a good home."

"I see." Freed said, tucking the silver key into his jacket pocket, "We will be sure to give this to her the next time we see her."

"See that you do son." Mr. Devro said with a smile.

"And don't forget to send us a note if you can't make it next week for some reason. Alright?" Mrs. Feld questioned sternly.

"We'll be sure to do that." Evergreen said with a happy smile, "But we will do our best to make it!"

"Then have a good week dears." Mrs. Devro said, coming to stand by her husband, "And be safe."

"You got it!" Bickslow grinned with a cocky salute. All three waved as they headed off, leaving their new friends in their repaired houses.

It wasn't until they had turned out of sight that Bickslow frowned, "Why would she leave without enjoying the party?"

"Mr. Devro said she was leaving for training." Freed noted slowly, "We had the last bit under control."

"Yes, but the party was to thank her too." Evergreen huffed.

"Maybe, maybe not." Freed began thoughtfully, "Despite what Pippi reported her saying to the Master, with the civilians she was very adamant that helping was our idea. Didn't you notice that once we became more accepted she simply stood back and directed?"

"Yeah..." Bickslow frowned, "I only saw her actually work the first day."

"She really made sure the focus of everything was on us." Evergreen realized softly.

Freed nodded sharply in agreement, "Miss Lucy has done us a great service! Both with helping us begin to make amends and helping Bickslow. We should find a way to thank her for her kindness!"

"Yes, but how?" Evergreen asked, "And when? She's training and I doubt she stayed around here to do it if she couldn't stay long enough for a little party."

Freed stopped as they reached an intersection of two streets and his teammates turned to look at him. "Miss Lucy cited the guild rules as one of the sources that supported us all being in the guild. If she knows the rules so well, she will know that any training done more than a mile outside of Magnolia has to be logged with the Master so he can keep a lookout for problems. If we go to the guild we could ask Master for her location and go deliver her new key to her. I'm sure we can think of something to show our own gratitude while we travel or she may have something she needs our assistance with!"

"That's a great idea!" Bickslow grinned, his babies cheered and bobbed up and down with the box of food.

"It would also allow the guild some time without us to calm down," Evergreen noted.

"Then it's decided." Freed announced, "We should leave as soon as we can! I will go to the guild and collect the location. You two can go pack our bags and meet me at the train station."

Evergreen pressed her folded fan to her chin with a small frown, "Should you go alone?"

Freed tilted his head, "Perhaps I should have Pippi and Peppe accompany me?" He suggested, looking to Bickslow, "If we are going to leave as soon as possible it would be best for both of you to go home."

"Sure." Bickslow nodded as his totems adjusted to allow Pippi and Peppe to slide out from under the box, "They know the drill."

The rune mage nodded solemnly as the two totems flew up to circle him, "The next trains should leave around noon, which leaves us an hour and a half before we have to be there."

"Got it!" Evergreen and Bickslow chorused before turning and running down the street toward their house.

Freed steeled himself and turned the other direction to go to the guild.

The last couple days had certainly been interesting, to say the least. It had felt good for them to actually do some work to help fix what they had done, much more so than cutting his hair had felt. That they had been so accepted by the common people that they were helping was wholly surprising to Freed, but he assumed that Miss. Lucy had a lot to do with that. The blond had certainly led them right into the hearts of the people they were helping, seamlessly integrating them with the groups before moving on to watch her handy work from the outside.

Freed hoped that they would be able to thank Miss. Lucy properly. They had just met her and already she had done so much for them and not just helping them begin fixing their mistake and helping Bickslow through his ill-advised foray into drugs. She gave them further insight and gave them her acceptance after barely getting to know them over breakfast. She was also quite the mystery. Bickslow had told them, after they had returned home the first night, about how the petite blonde had blocked his Figure Eyes when he had lost control of them. And of the, admittedly very few, Celestial mages that they had come across, they had never seen one treated like Miss. Lucy was by her spirits. That wasn't even considering the fact that she had managed to contract six gold keys. Freed didn't know much at all about celestial keys but he did know that none of the summoners they had come across before had gold keys.

"Perhaps I could stop by Winifred's shop to see if she has any books on Miss. Lucy's magic." Freed mused to himself. Unfortunately, that thought was cut short when Pippi zoomed in front of him, Freed shook himself and frowned at the little totem. His frown dropped when he saw just how close to the guild doors that he was, "Thank you Pippi, that would have been embarrassing."

"Yes!" Pippi squeaked as it bobbed in place.

Freed entered the guild as quietly as possible but that didn't stop the inevitable distrustful stares and the hateful glares that were sent his way when people began to notice him. Pippi and Peppe hovered closer to Freed as he ducked his head and quickly made his way up to the Master's office. By the time he closed the door Freed was breathing hard from his stress-filled sprint walk up to safety.

"Freed, child!" Master greeted with a smile and a raised eyebrow, "Are you alright?"

The rune mage straightened, "I am fine Master, I simply wished to see you and rushed up the stairs."

Makarov's raised eyebrow showed just how much he believed that statement. "I see." He pulled a stack of papers from the side of his desk, "It is nice to see you Freed. I was hoping you, Evergreen, and Bickslow would come in today but you seem to be alone."

"Yes, they are home packing," Freed answered.

"Packing?!" Makarov exclaimed in alarm, "You three aren't doing anything rash I hope."

"That is actually what I am here to talk to you about Master." Freed began, finally getting his breathing under control. Makarov waved him on with a wary expression. "As you know, I and the Legion have been working to fix up one of the neighborhoods affected by the battle. Miss Lucy was very helpful in this endeavor but she left to train before we or those in the neighborhood we rebuilt could thank her properly. I was hoping you could give us her location so we could deliver the people's thank you gift and express our own gratitude."

"Freed..." Makarov began hesitantly.

"It will also give the guild some time to heal without us." Freed threw in, "You may have waved off our actions but the guild still holds hostility towards us. A break may do everyone some good."

"Freed," Makarov began again, "Lucy said she would be back in a week. Couldn't you wait until then?"

"Master, with all due respect, I do truly believe some time from the guild would be best." Freed insisted, "Bickslow didn't come home the other night and Evergreen's first thought was that he had been kidnapped for revenge. I just walked into the guild today and couldn't come up to speak to you without receiving suspicious looks." He clasped his hands behind his back, "If your concern is us interrupting important training for Miss. Lucy, we will leave as soon as she says she doesn't want us there."

The Master sighed, "If you're sure this is what you want," Freed gave a sharp nod and Makarov returned it, "very well." He shuffled some papers around, "Lucy was very secretive about the extent of her magic as well as the training she was doing, so I am not sure what you'll be walking into but she is in a little town called Stella. It is past the Neutral Grounds and protected by the Milky-way Mountain Range on one side and the cliffs overlooking the Braveyard Sea on the other. You'll need to take the train to the smaller village on the opposite side of the mountains and then follow the trail through from there."

"Yes, Master," Freed said, committing the directions to memory.

"I will also warn you." Makarov continued, "The town of Stella is a bit of a mystery. The Council is wary of it and refuses to send troops there. There are a lot of rumors and not a lot of facts known but one thing everyone seems to agree on is that the town sleeps during the day and is active at night. Tread carefully my child, there is no quick way for me to reach you if you need assistance."

"We'll be careful Master," Freed promised with a bow before he turned to leave.

"You do that." Makarov chuckled, "And Freed," the rune mage looked back at him from the open door, "I am proud of you three for working to clean up some of the town. Whether Lucy helped you or not, just that you were willing to complete the work shows great remorse for your actions."

Freed smiled, "Thank you, Master."

With that, Freed left the Master's office and quickly made his way out of the guild, ignoring the wary glances and a few muttered insults thrown his direction.

Freed walked as quickly as was proper, happy that he had gotten the information out of the Master so fast. This would give him the chance to visit his favorite bookshop and hopefully find something on Miss. Lucy's magic there.

The little bookshop, named Timeless Tomes, had escaped from the Battle of Fairy Tail completely unscathed, having long ago benefitted from a bout of selfishness on Freed's part. The owner, Winifred, had readily agreed to the protective runes around her establishment after Levy had been followed there by a very drunk Cana, resulting in three destroyed shelves, many damaged books, and a pair of large snakes taking residence under her favorite chair. So, Freed was a favorite of the older woman and was greeted with more enthusiasm than normal whenever he walked through the bookshop's doors.

Today was no different.

"Oh! Freed dear! I didn't know you were coming today!" The elder woman, a white-haired and wizened but still fit and energetic seventy year old, greeted as Freed stepped into the shop. "Researching a job dear?"

"Of a sort Winifred." Freed said with a small smile, "Do you have anything on Celestial Spirit Magic?"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Winifred answered, she skirted the edge of her front desk and led Freed to the very back. "I don't have much. Celestial Spirit Magic is guarded fiercely by its practitioners, from what I've gathered, to be truly successful with that magic you have to be born into a family of Celestial Spirit Mages." She stopped at a slightly dusty bookcase and pointed to a shelf with four lonely books on it. "That's it I'm afraid."

Freed frowned but stepped closer to examine the books. Three were significantly older than the fourth, so he began with the newest one, hoping for the most updated information. Pulling the book from the shelf he found a glossy picture of a white-haired man with his eyes closed and his hands pressed together, a serene smile on his face as he stood in front of a backdrop of constellations. ' _Secret Life of Celestials_ ', the title read.

"Ah," Winifred spoke up, "I would not take that one dear." Freed gave her a questioning look and she smiled. "Several weeks ago a sweet little Celestial Mage came by for research. She scoffed when I asked about this book, told me it was more a work of fiction than anything." She pointed to the other end of the cluster of books, "She actually gave me the two books on the end to reduce her bill. She told me they were early editions but that the information was more accurate."

Freed blinked and shelved the newer book, "Was she blonde? Brown eyed?"

"Why yes, yes she was. A guild member I presume?"

"She is," Freed said with a small smile. He slid both books from the shelf and tucked them against his chest. "A new friend actually. If she says these books have the most accurate information, then I trust her."

"Lucy! Lucy!" Pippi and Peppe cheered above them.

Winifred laughed, "A new friend huh? I see." She led Freed back toward the front, "Will she be joining the illustrious Thunder Legion?"

Freed gave the woman a small smile, "Perhaps." He laid the books on the counter, "We just met her a few days ago, however. We'll have to see."

"Hence the research." Winifred mused.

"Yes." Freed agreed.

"Well, I think she would be a good addition to your group." Winifred said as she wrote up the receipts, "For Evergreen, certainly. She needs a good female friend."

"So you keep telling us." Freed chuckled, he pulled free his wallet, "Now, how much do I owe you?"

"10,000 jewel, dear." Freed opened his mouth to protest but she held up a hand, "Now, now, I know what these books are worth, but I also know the lack of demand." She gave Freed a sly smirk, "Besides, you can call it an investment into my favorite team."

"Very well." Freed sigh, pulling out two 5,000 jewel notes, "I will accept your generosity."

"Like you had a choice." Winifred teased, she handed the rune mage his receipt before storing her copy in the till with the jewels. "Bring Evergreen and Bickslow around soon so I can hear all about this new member, alright?"

"Of course," Freed promised with a smile. "Have a good day Winifred."

"Thank you, dear. I hope to see you soon!"

Freed waved back at the woman as he exited the shop, making his way toward the train station. As he walked, the rune mage only kept a peripheral awareness of his surroundings while he examined the two books he had procured.

The thicker tome, a black leather bound book with a gold embossed title, had ' _Celestial Spirits and Their Stories_ ' written in calligraphy across the front. A smaller marking on the spine of the book noted that this was the seventh edition of the book. Freed opened to a random spot in the book to get a general feel for the book's information. The first page he opened to was a profile of a sort, entitled The Canis Minor, and described the general power level and abilities of the Canis Minor. The page also had a sketch of the key, which Freed hoped he could use to identify the key they were bringing to Miss. Lucy.

The second book was bound with royal blue leather and also had a gold embossed title, this one read ' _Celestial Spirit Magic: A Guide_ '. This book Freed flipped through idly, getting glimpses of diagrams, foreign symbols, and large paragraphs of text. The rune mage could practically taste the sweet seductive knowledge held within the pages. A quick glimpse at the spine told Freed that this was the third edition of the book and he couldn't help but wonder how many editions had followed this one.

Peppe dipped down to press against Freed's chest, bringing him to a halt. The rune mage looked up and found himself already at the train station.

"Thank you, Peppe," Freed said, closing his book and quickly making his way to the ticket counter. It didn't take him long to wait in the line and procure three tickets for the train heading toward the Milky-way Mountain Range.

"Freed!" Came the familiar shout just as Pippi and Peppe raced off.

The rune mage turned to see his two teammates making their way toward him with luggage in hand. "Just in time." He greeted.

"Did you find out where she went?" Evergreen asked hopefully.

"I did. Let us board and I will share what I have discovered." Freed said with a smile, he handed out the tickets and led his team to the appropriate train.

Once they were settled in an empty compartment, Freed having laid privacy runes around the door, Bickslow and Evergreen looked to their green haired friend expectantly.

"I was able to get Miss. Lucy's location from the Master but it would seem the place is a bit of a mystery. According to Master Makarov, the town, Stella, sleeps during the day and is active at night." Freed relayed.

"It would make sense for a Celestial Mage to go to a town that is active at night." Bickslow said, "Her keys are represented in the constellations so she'd probably be stronger at night."

"Yes, but a whole town?" Evergreen frowned, "Even if the town was mostly astronomers, that doesn't seem right."

"It doesn't stop there." Freed continued, "Master said the Council seems to be afraid of the place and refuses to send troops there." He sat back in his seat, "Miss. Lucy is there, so hopefully, the town's people are welcoming to mages. However, we should still be wary when we approach." Evergreen and Bickslow nodded in agreement.

"So what books did you pick up?" Evergreen asked curiously, motioning to the two books next to Freed.

"Books about Miss. Lucy's magic." Freed said, pulling the two tomes onto his lap, "They actually came from Miss. Lucy herself. Winifred said she traded them for a reduced price." He pulled free the key from his pocket and handed it over to Evergreen along with ' _Celestial Spirits and Their Stories_ '. "See if you can find the key in there. It has profiles on each key and its spirit."

"Right." Evergreen agreed, flipping the book open while delicately handling the key.

"So what's that book then?" Bickslow asked. The train jerked under them as it started to leave the station.

"This one appears to be an overview of Celestial Magic," Freed said distractedly, turning to the title page this time. He scanned over the title but stopped, almost choking on his saliva, when he saw the author.

"Freed?" Evergreen asked worriedly, "You alright?"

The rune mage drew in a harsh breath, "The author. It says Claire Heartfilia." He quickly turned back to the copyright page and scanned over the information, "All of the previous editions were written or edited by a Heartfilia as well."

Bickslow cocked his head, "So Lucy's family literally wrote the book on Celestial Magic? Huh."

"Her family wrote this one too." Evergreen announced, "Holly Heartfilia." She read off of the title page.

"It must be true then." Freed hummed, "To be a successful Celestial mage you must come from a family of them."

"Sounds like she's from more than just some family of Celestial mages." Bickslow snorted, "Especially, if they're writing whole books on it."

Freed nodded sharply, "Indeed, we must do our best not to offend Miss. Lucy on this subject." He settled further into his seat, "We shall have to learn as much as possible."

"Don't get too far into studying man." Bickslow buffed, leaning against the wall and getting comfortable, "If the town we're going to is really only active at night then we'll have to change our sleep schedule a bit."

"True." Freed conceded.

"I'll find Lucy's new key and then get some sleep," Evergreen announced, accepting Pippi into her lap as she went back to the book.

"And I shall read the first chapter before getting rest myself." Freed said, happily turning the pages to the first chapter.

"Right." Bickslow drawled, rolling his eyes. "Good luck with that." He crossed his arms and settled into the seat to get some sleep for the adventure to come. He knew his partners well enough to know they would likely get lost in the books and would be tired when they arrived, he also knew he would likely be carrying Evergreen by the end of the night. So he may as well get some sleep now.

* * *

 **Ooo a mystery! Let's see where this goes! Lol**

 **See you next time!**


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